Streaming at premium quality

Are you tempted by Spotify’s top-tier ser-

vice, Spotify Premium, mainly because of its

top-quality audio offerings? Then you’re in

luck because the desktop application on your

computer gives you the option of streaming at

a far higher quality, or bitrate, than standard

accounts: 320 Kbps (kilobits per second), com-

pared with 160 Kbps for non-Premium accounts.

For more on bitrates, see Chapter 2.

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that not

all tracks on Spotify have been converted to

320 Kbps yet; it’s an ongoing process. There’s

plenty of debate about whether the layperson

can actually tell the difference — and with data

caps on broadband usage becoming standard,

the premium bitrate can chip away at your

monthly limit.

Most people who use regular speakers or listen

to music through a computer or earphones

are unlikely to appreciate a distinct difference

with the track quality. But plenty of audiophiles

do care.

You can’t currently tell before you play a track

whether it’s available in higher-quality format.

So, if top-quality sound through your hi-fi is your

thing and this is a crucial issue for you, I rec-

ommend signing up for a free Spotify Premium

trial first or committing yourself to only an initial

one-month plan to make sure you’re happy with

what you’re hearing.

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